Towers of Power: These 9/11 Vets Responded to Terror by Giving Back

When the World Trade Center site remained a search-and-rescue operation rather than a lost cause, I interviewed Craig Garber, a paramedic from Dedham, Mass., while reporting on the many volunteers who rushed to New York to help. As I remember it, Craig was tall, grimey-faced and wearing a yellow hard hat and no respirator. Craig was taking a break from four straight days on "the pile," as the rescuers called Ground Zero. I got out a few questions when, without warning, a spasm of grief shook me and I started to uncontrollably sob—not exactly a professional moment in my career, but an honest one. Craig, a guy I'd known for about two minutes, paternally wrapped his arms around me and basically gave me a "there, there" until I regained my composure. Learn More.